Mapimpi received a two-week suspension due to his apology and cooperation with the disciplinary process. However, he was involved in a similar incident before. Sharks and Springboks star Makazole Mapimpi will miss three of the Sharks upcoming United Rugby Championship (URC) local derbies after receiving a ban. The 34-year-old winger was involved in a scuffle with Cardiff hooker Efan Daniel during their URC match in Wales on 25 January, which the Sharks won 42–22 to overtake the Welsh side on the table. During the incident, Mapimpi’s hand made contact with Daniel’s eye, sparking widespread criticism on social media and allegations of eye gouging. The URC revealed this week that the act resulted in a disciplinary process during which Mapimpi had accepted he had committed foul play which warranted a red
Category Archives: SPORTS
Feb
Veteran Springbok fullback Willie le Roux is on the verge of signing a new contract at the Bulls. Le Roux was believed to be headed for the exit door at Loftus at the end of the season but coach Jake White has given the clearest indication the player is likely to stay on for another year. Le Roux, 35, who is a two-time World Cup winner and has 98 Springbok caps, will give White options at No 10, where Johan Goosen, Boeta Chamberlain and Jaco van der Walt usually operate. “We didn’t want to resign him but the bottom line is he had an option to leave,” White said as the Bulls prepared for their United Rugby Championship visit to the Stormers at Cape Town Stadium on
Feb
Phakaaathi has it on good authority that Saavedra and Sundowns have come to an amicable decision to part ways. Erwin Saavedra’s time at Mamelodi Sundowns had come to end. ©Muzi Ntombela/BackpagePix As previously reported by Mgosi squad, Erwin Saavedra’s time at Mamelodi Sundowns had come to an end. With Matias Matías Esquivel’s loan recall from Club Atlético Talleres confirmed, Sundowns needed to open up a foreign spot on their books. Saavedra is deemed surplus to requirements by the Brazilians who now have the South American contingent of Esquivel, Lucas Ribeiro, Marcelo Allende and Arthur Sales, new defender Lucas Suárez on their roster. ALSO READ: Zothwane to reunite with Larsen at Richards Bay Phakaaathi has it on good authority that Saavedra and Sundowns have come to an amicable decision to part ways
Jan
Bowler Ashleigh van Wyk took 4/17 in three overs to lead the charge in Kuala Lumpur. South African players celebrate a wicket in their U19 T20 World Cup semi-final against Australia. Picture: Isuru Sameera/Gallo Images South Africa’s U19 women’s cricket team shocked Australia in their T20 World Cup semi-final played in Kuala Lumpur in Malaysia on Friday to qualify for the final where they will face either England or India. The South Africans went through their group phase and Super Sixes phase of the tournament unbeaten. In a tense match played on Friday, the South Africans won by five wickets with 11 balls remaning. Ashleigh van Wyk destroys lineup After winning the toss and opting to bat first, Australia could manage only 105/8 in their 20 overs. South Africa’s slow
Jan
Three teams remained locked in battle for the last two spots in the knockout stages. Faf du Plessis bashed a half-century for the Joburg Super Kings in their SA20 match against the Paarl Royals. Picture: Arjun Singh/Sportzpics Led from the front by captain Faf du Plessis, the Joburg Super Kings kept themselves in the hunt for the SA20 playoffs on Thursday night, charging to an impressive seven-wicket victory over the high-flying Paarl Royals at the Wanderers. Set a target of 151 runs to win, and with their trophy ambitions at stake, the Super Kings made sure with a spectacular effort from their top-order batters and their bowlers. Opening batter Du Plessis smashed his 78th career half-century – and his second of the tournament – racing to 87 runs off 55
Jan
The new league phase of this season’s expanded Champions League is all set for a frantic conclusion on Wednesday, as 18 matches are played simultaneously across Europe and the likes of Manchester City and Paris Saint-Germain battle to avoid an early exit. AFP Sport rounds up what is at stake ahead of the final round of games in the league phase: Top 8 places up for grabs There is a real incentive for finishing in the top eight places of the giant, 36-team standings — those sides will skip the two-legged knockout round play-offs next month, getting some precious rest as they advance straight to the last 16 in March. Liverpool, with seven wins out of seven, and Barcelona are the only two teams to have already guaranteed a place
Michael Oliver has avoided punishment following his controversial decision in the Arsenal vs Wolves game The official showed Arsenal’s Myles Lewis-Skelly a red card but he was strongly criticised for it The experienced official will be the centre referee in Ipswich’s clash against Southampton on matchday 24 Premier League official Michael Oliver will be the centre referee in Ipswich’s clash against Southampton on matchday 24. The referee was strongly criticised after he showed a controversial red card to Arsenal’s Myles Lewis-Skelly against Wolves on Saturday at Molineux. Fans expected Oliver to be dropped by the referee body Professional Game Match Officials Limited (PGMOL) but were surprised to see he will be in charge next weekend. Michael Oliver is one of the most experienced referees in English football. Photo by Marc
Jan
Samuel Eto’o reunited with his former teammate, now working as a security guard, in an emotional moment The Barcelona legend’s face lit up when he recognised his former teammate when he was getting a meeting in Douala The two-time AFCON winner retired in 2019 and a hugely successful year in his club and international career Cameroon icon Samuel Eto’o met his former teammate in the most surprising circumstance. The retired striker, now the President of the Cameroonian Football Federation (FECAFOOT), reunited with his teammate, now a security guard. Samuel Eto’o played for some of the biggest clubs in the world. Photos by Ulrik Pedersen/NurPhoto and Laurel Lysette (X).Source: Getty Images Eto’o reunites with teammate After an Ecobank Group seminar in Douala, Eto’o emerged from the building and greeted officials outside.
Jan
Namibian tennis faces its biggest challenge yet when it hosts Hong Kong in a Davis Cup World Group II play-off tie on 1 and 2 February. Namibia reached the Group II play-off stage after winning the Africa Group III tournament in Nigeria last year, thereby becoming only the second Namibian team to win Africa Group III following their inaugural triumph in 2018. Namibia, however, has never reached the Davis Cup World Group stage, which consists of the top 52 ranked nations in the world, and now stands on the cusp of creating history when they host Hong Kong. The Davis Cup World Group 1 consists of the top 26 nations in the world and World Group II of the next 26, ie 27th to 52nd, and reaching that stage will
Jan
A vintage Novak Djokovic tamed Carlos Alcaraz in a late-night blockbuster to set up an Australian Open semi-final with Alexander Zverev as two-time women’s defending champion Aryna Sabalenka fought on. The 37-year-old Djokovic rolled back the years at the scene of his greatest achievements on Rod Laver Arena in Melbourne with a 4-6, 6-4, 6-3, 6-4 triumph sealed close to 1:00 am. The Serb surged into the semi-finals and a date with world number two Zverev to edge closer to an 11th Melbourne crown and all-time record 25th Slam title. “I just wish that this match today was the final,” said Djokovic, who had to have his thigh heavily strapped and appeared to be labouring at the end of the first set. “Just one of the most epic matches I
Robert Donald Munro, better known as Bob Munro, has sadly passed on after a battle with respiratory illness Munro was the founder of the Mathare Youth Sports Academy (MYSA) and later chairman of Mathare United Football Kenya President (FKF) Hussein Mohammed has led in eulogising Munro for his efforts in supporting local football Kenya’s football fraternity has been plunged into mourning following the passing of Bob Munro. The Mathare United founder died on Sunday evening aged 82 after a long battle with illness. Bob Munro at the opening ceremony of the Mathare FIFA Football For Hope Centre on September 4, 2010 in Nairobi, Kenya. Photo by Neil Thomas – FIFA.Source: Getty Images How Bob Munro died His family confirmed that Munro has been in and out of the hospital in
Jan
Damian Penaud scored a tournament record six tries as Bordeaux-Begles hammered the Sharks, while Antoine Dupont shone as Toulouse thrashed Leicester in Champions Cup action on Sunday. Wales coach Warren Gatland will no doubt have been an interested, if slightly apprehensive, spectator as the two French teams — packed with the core of the France team — were ruthless in the two matches that came just 12 days before Les Bleus open their Six Nations campaign against the stuttering Welsh in Paris. Penaud’s hatful of tries in the 66-12 victory saw Bordeaux secure top spot in Pool 1 with 20 points from a maximum of 20, and home advantage in the next round in April. Dupont’s France back-up Maxime Lucu, Ugo Boniface, Yoram Moefana and Jacques Nguimbous all added tries
Jan
The Kansas City Chiefs moved one step closer to an unprecedented ‘three-peat’ after beating the Houston Texans in the NFL play-offs. After earning a bye for the first round of the post-season, the Chiefs kicked off the Divisional Round at home to the Houston Texans on Saturday. And the NFL’s two-time defending champions clinched a 23-14 victory to keep alive their hopes of becoming the first team to win three straight Super Bowls. Led by quarterback Patrick Mahomes, Kansas City have reached the NFL’s championship game four times in the past five years, winning it three times. Last season, they became the first team to win back-to-back Super Bowls since Tom Brady’s New England Patriots in 2004 and 2005, and they are back within one win of the big game.
Jan
The loss saw the Stormers drop out of the Champions Cup, and they now face a nervous wait to see if they will be one of the ‘lucky losers’ to drop into the Challenge Cup. The fighting Stormers were heartbreakingly dumped out of the Champions Cup by French giants Racing 92, after the hosts clinched an entertaining 31-22 win in their final pool match at the Paris La Defense Arena in Paris on Saturday night. The Stormers rested a few star players for the match, with Manie Libbok, Deon Fourie and Warrick Gelant left out, with an eye on their huge United Rugby Championship (URC) match against Leinster in Dublin next weekend, and missing that star power may have cost them in the end. With Harlequins picking up a vital
Jan
Florian Wirtz scored twice as Bundesliga champions Bayer Leverkusen beat Borussia Moenchengladbach 3-1 on Saturday to stay four points behind leaders Bayern Munich. Bayern had gone seven clear with a 3-2 win over Wolfsburg earlier on in the day, throwing down the gauntlet but Leverkusen were dominant and controlled, notching their 11th straight win in all competitions. “We’re right in the middle of a title fight again — you can dream a little bit,” Wirtz told Sky Germany. With 32 minutes gone, Leverkusen enforcer Granit Xhaka won the ball in midfield and fed Wirtz, who beat a defender and slotted calmly home. When Leverkusen won a penalty for handball midway through the second half, the 21-year-old Wirtz stepped up and converted. Patrik Schick latched onto a Wirtz pass to score